An American Airlines plane (not this one) was evacuated after a fart.

Air travel delays happen for all sorts of reasons, but landing and then evacuating an entire plane over a fart feels like a new one. That’s what reportedly happened at Raleigh-Durham International Airport Sunday, though, with a plane being landed and evacuated after passengers became ill, and the reason later being attributed to “passed gas.” Here are more details from local CBS affiliate WNCN:

A person who “passed gas” on an American Airlines plane on Sunday afternoon forced all passengers off the jet, officials said.

The incident happened when passengers on the flight became ill with nausea and headaches, according to a spokesperson with Raleigh-Durham International Airport.

The flight, which was not identified by RDU officials, landed at the airport around 4 p.m. when the incident was reported.

All the passengers were taken off the plane and after the incident was investigated it was determined that a passenger “passed gas,” the official said.

That’s quite the reason to land and evacuate a plane. And it sounds like quite the fart as well. Wonder what whoever did it ate?

Update: WNCN has updated its story with further reports from the airline and the airport, saying it was a mechanical issue “described as flatulence” and that crew members complained of a fart-like smell:

Three American Airlines crew members from a flight to RDU complained of eye irritation and headaches from an odor described as flatulence, airport officials said.

…RDU officials said EMS was called to Terminal 2 to check out the crew members who complained about the odor, but none was transported.

A RDU operations log shows at 3:34 p.m. the crew members “gave various descriptions of the smell (all indicating an individual had passed gas).”

At 4:18 p.m., a RDU representative told CBS North Carolina the “odor was described as flatulence,” according to the operations log.

…Ross Feinstein, a spokesman for the airline, released a statement that said in part:

“We did have an aircraft from Charlotte to RDU this afternoon, that landed at 2:19 p.m. ET, and arrived the gate at 2:21 p.m. ET, that is currently out of service for an actual mechanical issue – and odor in the cabin. But it is not due to ‘passed gas’ as mentioned,”

And Yahoo’s story says the plane wasn’t evacuated, but one passenger did receive medical help:

A spokesman at the airport, Andrew Sawyer, also confirmed that the plane was not evacuated, and said the whole incident was about a passenger who had to receive medical help after a foul smell:

“A medical call for someone overcome by an odor was received after the plane deplaned normally.”

So, we have a mechanical fart rather than a natural one.

[WNCN; photo via Aviation Explorer]

About Andrew Bucholtz

Andrew Bucholtz has been covering sports media for Awful Announcing since 2012. He is also a staff writer for The Comeback. His previous work includes time at Yahoo! Sports Canada and Black Press.

6 thoughts on “Plane landed and evacuated after fart-like smell, making passengers “ill with nausea and headaches” (updated)

  1. there’s a song on youtube “my bum goes” and then this farting type sound musical thing.

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